Overlay Network Manager Proxy Address Translation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing communications between hosted virtual machine networks with overlapping network addresses, such as IP addresses, is challenging due to the complexity of provisioning and managing physical and virtual computing resources in data centers, particularly in large-scale data center environments.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an Overlay Network Manager (ONM) system that uses addressable proxy IP addresses to facilitate data exchange between hosted virtual machine networks, allowing for logical networking functionality to be emulated on physical computing nodes, thereby enabling transparent network configurations and optimized routing decisions based on user-defined criteria.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If physical routing devices are used to manage communications between virtual machine networks, then network communication reliability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements virtual routing functionality through software-based virtual routing instances that run on physical computing devices. These virtual routing instances replicate the functionality of physical routing devices, allowing multiple virtual machine networks to communicate without requiring actual physical routers for each network pair. The virtual routing instances create virtual routing tables and perform packet forwarding based on virtual network addresses, effectively copying routing device functionality in a virtualized form that reduces hardware complexity while maintaining communication reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a virtual machine manager as an intermediary component that manages communications between virtual machine networks with overlapping addresses. The manager intercepts and processes network packets, performs address translation and routing decisions, and forwards packets to appropriate destinations. This intermediary layer resolves address conflicts and enables communication between virtual machine networks without requiring complex physical routing infrastructure, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining reliable communication
2Reliability
If physical routing devices are deployed for each virtual machine network, then network isolation and security are improved, but resource utilization decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple virtual routing functions into shared physical computing infrastructure. Multiple virtual machine networks share common physical computing devices that host virtual routing instances, allowing these networks to maintain isolation and security through virtualization while utilizing shared hardware resources. The virtual routing instances are consolidated on the same physical platform, eliminating the need for dedicated physical routers for each virtual network, thereby improving resource utilization while preserving network isolation through virtual boundary enforcement
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements universal physical computing devices that can simultaneously host multiple virtual machine networks and their respective routing functions. The shared physical infrastructure provides multi-functional capabilities, serving as compute resources, network routing points, and isolation boundaries for multiple virtual networks concurrently. This universal platform approach allows a single physical device to perform multiple routing functions for different virtual networks, maximizing resource utilization while maintaining the security and isolation benefits of dedicated routing
3Adaptability or versatility
If virtual machine networks use overlapping network addresses, then adaptability and ease of deployment are improved, but communication management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a virtual machine manager as an intermediary that handles address translation and packet routing between virtual machine networks with overlapping addresses. The manager maintains virtual routing tables that map virtual network addresses to physical network addresses, intercepts packets with overlapping addresses, performs address translation, and forwards packets to the correct destination. This intermediary layer shields virtual machine networks from address conflict issues, allowing them to use overlapping addresses for adaptability while the manager resolves complexity in communication management
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements virtual routing instances that copy physical routing functionality into the virtualized environment. These virtual routing instances create virtual routing tables that replicate physical routing behavior, allowing virtual machine networks to use familiar addressing schemes including overlapping addresses. The virtual routing instances process packets using virtual routing logic, effectively copying routing device functionality to handle address overlaps without requiring complex manual configuration or management
4Ease of operation
If addressable proxy IP addresses are used to facilitate data exchange, then ease of operation is improved, but network configuration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements addressable proxy IP addresses as intermediary endpoints that facilitate data exchange between virtual machine networks. The proxy addresses serve as intermediate destinations that the virtual machine manager translates to actual source and destination addresses. When a packet is sent to a proxy address, the manager intercepts it, performs address translation using virtual routing tables, and forwards it to the correct virtual machine network. This intermediary proxy mechanism simplifies data exchange operations for users while the manager handles the configuration complexity of address mappings in the background
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and method are provided for using proxy addresses to manage communications sent between virtual machine networks hosted by a substrate network. In some embodiments, the substrate network may identify a communication addressed from an instantiated component of a first hosted virtual network to a first proxy component of the first hosted virtual network. The substrate network may cause the communication to be received by a second instantiated component of a second host virtual network. Specifically, the substrate network may alter a destination address of the communication from a proxy address of the first proxy component to a network address of the second instantiated component. The substrate network may also alter a source address of the communication from a network address of the first instantiated component to a proxy address of a second proxy component.